An Old Engagement
by Lady Sandromeda Snupin
Summary: Lady Celi wants her eldest son married, but will an old engagement put a spanner in the works? Why is Gunter so angry and upset about Gwendal meeting a mystery girl? Will old promises keep thier strength or will they fall apart over time? Will an old romance rekindle it's flame? will Gwendal ever get married? lol you have to read to find out.
1. Chapter 1

It was breakfast time in the Great Demon Kingdom and the residents of Covenant Castle were lucky enough to have the pleasure of his majesty, King Yuri and the Great Wise Man, joining them. The set up was amazing, what else to be fit for his eminence and his majesty. There were jams of nearly every variety, all made from the finest of local produce. Fresh milk filled jugs and glasses at every seat of the table, all from the cows that lived on the surrounding farms. There were pancakes, fluffy loaves of bread, scones the size of baseballs and a vast amount of other breakfast foods that Yuri had never seen nor heard of before.

Yuri was seated next to his fiancé who looked quite content with the seating placement, and Lady Celi, which he himself was not so happy about, as she kept trying to cuddle his arm as if it belonged to her. Conrad was on her other side, making sure her hands wandered no further. Günter came next, contentedly nibbling on a slice of fresh bread, a thin amount of jam the only thing that tarnished the white of the crispy baked goodness. The fruit of the jam slightly resembled a passion fruit yet bright pink in colour. Sitting beside Günter was Jozak who, for the first time in what seemed like ages, was enjoying the royal treatment at Gwendal's request. For some reason he didn't look out of place in the slightest, in fact, it looked as though he was born into the atmosphere of sipping tea with royalty. Stiff old Gwendal sat next to his favourite spy, spreading cream onto a rather large scone. Murata, who was at the head of the table facing Conrad, looked very at ease with his position at the head of the table, obviously having been placed there in a previous life.

The atmosphere that lay in the room was a very cosy, content one. Rather like a fat cat, full and sleepy after drinking a bowl of cream or milk. They talked about a wide variety of things, ranging from baseball to how to polish a sword in the most effective way. All of a sudden, the atmosphere changed considerably as Lady Celi brought up marriage. To be exact, the marriage of her eldest son, Gwendal. They could feel the air around them tighten as though a vacuum had sucked all of the oxygen from the room.

"Mother, for the last time, I'm not interested in whoever you want to stick me with now. There is already someone on my list." Gwendal groaned, trying to get her to change the subject.

"WHAT!" Nearly everyone at the table yelled.

"Oh...you were joking weren't you, Gwendal. Ha ha very funny." Yuri laughed nervously as though unsure whether this was the best idea.

"Why didn't you tell me Gwen? Who is this charming lady, or is it a strapping young man, you naughty thing you?" Celi giggled.

"Mother!" Wolfram warned her.

"Anyone for another cup of tea?" Jozak asked, trying, in his calm way to change the topic.

"If you wouldn't mind, thank you Jozak." Murata said, passing his china cup to the red head whilst glancing at Günter, who had gone rather stiff at the mention of marriage. Murata's glasses had gone tinted as he received his now full cup.

"That, mother, is none of your business." He said whilst continuing to slather much more cream on his scone than was necessary or healthy.

"Well then, when are you planning on getting married?" Celi asked persistent as ever.

"I'm not!" Gwendal practically yelled, "We're not interested in that right now." Gwendal said forcefully.

"Really Gwendal, do you share the same view as your lover? How long have you two been engaged?" Günter asked quietly and everyone was shocked to hear how forced his words seemed.

"Of course." Gwendal said glaring at the other man. "Twenty years isn't that long to be engaged and at the time we got engaged there was a war in the region. It wasn't a suitable time."

"TWENTY YEARS!" Everyone yelled again.

"Biscuit?" Murata offered to Jozak.

"Don't mind if I do." Jozak said, taking the biscuit gratefully.

"Well, dear Gwendal, the war is over and there are no disputes of any sort. Why not have the wedding now?" Günter asked.

"Because you and I both know that this state won't last, another fight could break out at any moment."

It was apparent that no one wanted to interrupt the two's bickering, but all wanted to hear more and so quietly tried to eat their breakfast while the two men argued.

"Excuses excuses. If you keep putting it off your fiancé might start thinking you've lost interest and they could very well go and find someone who could love them better." Günter glared at the large officer, hate reflected in his eyes. It was as though he was threatening him. "For all you know, they've already moved on to someone else." he sniffed angrily.

"You think so?" Gwendal growled, rising half way out of his chair and leaning across Jozak to stare Gunter down, teeth bared. "Well then. Mother I will meet this woman. I might as well have a backup, as it seems everyone is in doubt of my fiancé sticking around." Gwendal stood up completely and stomped out of the room.

"I'll tell her to come by in a week Gwen Gwen." Celli called to her eldest son.

"Excuse me; I have work to attend to." And with that Günter stood quite gracefully for a man shaking with rage, and dabbed at his lips with a napkin. Without so much as another word he glided out of the room towards his study.

"What the heck just happened?" Yuri asked.

"I'm not sure, but I don't think I have ever seen lord von Christ so angry before." Jozak said, whistling softly.

"Don't underestimate him Jozak, the man is capable of quite a bit." Conrad said startling everyone; the man had been so quite during the whole ordeal.

"I have a feeling whatever the problem is, we'll find out in the next week or so." Murata said knowingly.

And after such words from the great wise man himself, everyone could barely wait for the week to end, just so that they could find out what was going on between the two men.


	2. Chapter 2

After the encounter at the breakfast table, everyone steered clear of the two arguing soldiers. It wasn't for lack of interest as to why the two men suddenly had it out for each other, but out of fear for their lives. The rows would start up in the most peculiar places and, at one point; Günter had started throwing vases at Gwendal who, unfortunately, wasn't expecting such sudden violence. He was later seen with a band aid across his nose and over his left eyebrow, looking very sullen. Günter, on the other hand, looked like he couldn't give a damn, though you could see that the arguing was taking a toll on him. He had unflattering dark bags under his eyes and his eyes themselves were bloodshot as though he hadn't slept for days. Günter also hadn't been eating and Yuri was worried for both of their health. It was strange, the two had their differences but they had never argued to this extent before. Yuri would have gone to Gisela so that she could sort the two of them out, but she had been far across the country, helping out with a recent mudslide, though she should be returning tonight. Yuri sighed, maybe he should get Wolfram to- no, he didn't need half the castle burnt down in his unnecessary fury.

"Your Majesty, I've been looking everywhere for you." Uh oh. Of all the times, why did Anissina have to catch him now, he was dealing with a crisis.

"Hi lady Anissina. Look, you know I love your inventions and I think you're very clever, but I'm kind of busy sorting out the issue with Gwendal and Günter." He said apologetically.

"They just need time, your Majesty. Though, I must admit, the fact that they are too angry to help me with my inventions is a bit of a letdown." She sighed." You know, despite appearances, Gwendal, Günter and I have been friends for a long time. Our mothers used to get together for functions or fashion shows and, even though Günter was older, he got on with us really well." Anissina smiled. "It was also great because I got an extra guinea pig for my experiments; it helped to vary the results and gave Gwendal a bit of a break." Yuri flinched as images of a whip wielding Anissina popped into his mind. Poor Gwendal and Günter.

Yuri snapped out of it when he saw that her usually bright face had dwindled to quite a sad one. "They used to be so close, it often made me jealous." She admitted. "Günter moved back home after a while and I could tell that Gwendal really missed him."

"What about when they met up again, did they get on the same as before?" Yuri asked, maybe that time apart had been their downfall.

"Well…" Anissina furrowed he brow as she thought. "They were close but it was different from before." She said slowly, thinking it through. "I just can't explain how." Anissina suddenly clapped her hands together, her usual smile back on her face. "If you can't do the experiment for me, I guess I'm just going to have to find someone that can." And with that she stalked off, in search of her new prey.

Yuri scratched the back of his head and sweat dropped. Poor soul.

In the middle of the night Yuri woke up with a start, a plan forming in his head. He just had to remind the two of them how much fun they used to have so they would stop arguing. As he kicked Wolfram's legs off of his own and made sure Greta was nice and snug, he made his way to the infirmary. Knowing Gisela, she would be up; she always was, probably unpacking from the trip. The woman never slept. Maybe she knew of a pastime they both used to enjoy. If she came up blank he could try Anissina again, but there was the risk that she would use him for testing some scary new… thing. He winced. If worse came to the worst he would just have to see Lady Celi. He _hated_ her smothering, but who else would know Gwendal better than his own mother.

It was his lucky night apparently as there; straightening the bed linen was Gisela. She turned when she heard Yuri's footsteps and cocked her head to the side, a sweet smile on her face.

"What can I help you with your Majesty?"

"Well, it's a bit unusual but, I need help getting Günter and Gwendal to make up. They've been fighting you see and it's not right." Yuri said sadly. Gisela smiled.

"I couldn't agree with you more. I'm used to them having little spats over who is more useful to you but this is just crazy. I've been hearing everyone's complaints since I returned, this has to stop." Gisela paused in thought, trying to think of something to bring them together. After a few moments Gisela snapped her fingers, looking surprised.

"I can't believe that I didn't think of this sooner. Father used to tell me stories about how they used to go on patrols with Gwendal's father when they were younger. They would have been around Wolframs age, I guess. They used to have fun knocking each other off of their horse." Gisela giggled.

Yuri laughed nervously, unsure whether that was such a good thing when they were so angry. "Do you think that they'll agree to it though? The way that they are at the moment, won't they be avoiding each other like the plague?" Yuri asked.

"Well… why don't you suggest that you want to see more of the Great Demon Kingdom's countryside? You would need someone to protect you and show you around. I'm sure you can convince everyone else to say that they are too busy to take you. They would spend time together if it was to protect your Majesty."

"Brilliant idea Gisela. I'll go ask Gwendal, do you think that you can tell Günter for me? I guess in the morning is as good a time as any."

"Not a problem at all. Now I suggest you get some sleep. If you have to manage both my father and Gwendal you are going to have your work cut out for you."

"Yeah, thanks Gisela. Make sure you get some sleep too." Yuri smiled sweetly before turning around and heading back to bed.

When Yuri got back to his room and kicked Wolfram out of the way, he finally felt like sleep would come quickly…however.

"What did you do that for, wimp?!"

"Well, if you really want to share the bed with me, then you can at least_ share_ it." Just one more thing to do before sleep. "Wolfram, just to let you know, tomorrow I'm going for a ride in the countryside with Gwendal and Günter. I don't want you to freak out when I'm not here tomorrow."

"I should go with you, I can't trust you with other men." Wolfram looked half asleep, grumpy and had really fuzzy bed hair. Kinda cute, but easy to trick.

"I wanted to pick up something secret for you while I was out. But I guess if I can't go without you, you can't get your surprise." Yuri pretended to be disappointed, like all he wanted to do was spoil his fiancé, and Wolfram fell for it.

"Well, since you are leaving me here to prove your loyalty to me…I guess that would be alright." Wolfram didn't make sense and didn't sound convinced but he didn't look like he was going to argue either. "If I hear that you've been flirting with anyone, you'll have hell to pay." Wolfram said before his head hit the pillow and he fell asleep. Yuri sighed; he always had to have the last word.

He looked over to Greta; luckily the outburst from Wolfram hadn't woken her up. She looked quite content between her 'father's'. As Yuri fell asleep he wondered if Günter and Gwendal would ever be good friends again. One could only hope.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning came bright and early and surprisingly, despite his lack of sleep, Yuri was up and about with a cheerful smile on his face. He just had a feeling that the day would go well. He snuck out of his bedroom, leaving Wolfram and Greta to sleep, intent on getting some breakfast. He also thought that it would be worthwhile to pack some snacks for the trip. The maids all came to fuss over him but he would have none of that.

"Now now, don't worry about me. You girls just go about your business, I'll be fine." Still the girls made sure that he had extra cookies packed for the trip and enough breakfast to start his day properly. Next thing on his list was Gwendal.

He must have stood outside his large wooden doors for about five minutes before he got up the courage to knock.

"Yes, come in." Yuri was somewhat surprised. He had always guessed that he would be the kind of person that had trouble waking up in the mornings. As Yuri entered his office it was obvious that he hadn't, in fact, been to sleep. He had bags under his eyes and his hair was slightly stuck up at the front from running his hands through it.

"Your Majesty, what can I do for you?" Oh boy, he sounded as tired as he looked.

"Well um, I'm going to go for a ride in the country today, but everyone else is busy." He hoped to heaven that they were otherwise he would have to send them a silent message that he was on a mission. "Would you come with me please, you know, to keep me safe…I'm bringing a picnic." He added hopefully, every man likes food.

Gwendal sighed but nodded his head in defeat. "I suppose if there is no one else."

"No one. I know I should have about two guards, one for either side of me… but you know you're strong enough for two, right."

"When are we heading out?"

"About an hour I'd say."

"Hmph." Gwendal got to his feet and straightened up, his back popping as he did. "I'll get changed and meet you at the stables." Gwendal walked past Yuri to get to his quarters. Yuri let out a big breath, geez that was awkward. Now to check with Gisela.

He bumped into her in the hallway off of the sickbay. "Oh Gisela, did you get in touch with Günter? Gwendal has taken the bait so my side of the plan is a go."

"Yes, he agreed. He does look tired though."

"That would make the both of them; Gwendal looked like his eyes were going to fall out." Yuri said while Gisela looked as though she didn't know whether to laugh or prescribe something.

"Well, let's hope they are too tired to notice that the others there."

"Oh yeah, before you go. While I'm gone can you let the others know of the plan please? I don't need someone saying something different from the story."

"I'll spread it around. Have a good trip." She said before making her way to the kitchen for breakfast.

By the time Yuri got to the stables it had nearly been an hour since he informed Gwendal. The castle was so big that it took ages to get anywhere.

When he got there Günter was already inside, prepping his horse. He seemed engrossed with brushing his horse's mane, making sure that he looked good for the ride. You could tell from his movements that he really loved his horse and cared for him greatly.

"Morning Günter." Yuri said, getting his own horse ready to go.

"Good morning Your Highness, did you sleep well?" he asked. Yuri noticed how skinny he looked. Even though he made an effort to look professional his clothes were starting to look too big for him and his hair looked lank. He smiled as usual though it didn't reach his eyes.

"Oh yeah, I slept good."

Günter led his horse out of the stables and hopped on. "Shall we go then Your Highness?" Günter asked before snapping, "What are you doing here?"

Yuri peeked his head around the door to see Gwendal and Günter glaring fiercely into each other's eyes. Yuri winced; this would be the hard part.

"Hey guys, that's really convenient isn't it. Now, Wolfram can sleep easy knowing that I have two great guards to keep me safe." He tried to sweet talk, but the glares lost none of their ferociusness. Günter was currently winning, in a way, as he was on his horse. Extra height means extra power which means, a better glare. Gwendal was struggling, his eyes looked as though they were going to explode rather than inflict emotional pain.

Günter sniffed, "go get your horse then Gwendal; you are going to make us late." Gunter sat up straighter with his nose in the air, trying to psyche Gwendal out. Gwendal didn't argue as it was partly true but he did huff, puff and stomp his feet on his way into the stables.

Yuri sighed; he had to find something that they could all talk about, something easy so he could keep the peace.

On the way through town the two kept very quiet. Yuri would constantly try to start up conversations but was ignored every time. He knew that they were listening in case there was danger but it's like they were refraining from speaking, in case they upset the King. It's like they knew the only thing that they could say to each other would be insults. When they got to the outskirts of town the real trouble started. They came to a fork in the road, one continuing forward and one on either side of that.

"Which way should we go?" Yuri asked. He had never been this way before and therefore turned to his two advisors.

Gwendal was first to answer. "I say we go right, we'll be able to go up into the mountains."

"His Highness has _seen_ mountains; if we go left there is a quaint brook and wildflowers. It's much more suitable for a ride in the countryside."

"The mountains have a better view." Gwendal retaliated.

"It will hurt the horse's feet! Don't you think of anyone but yourself!?" Günter snapped, glaring daggers and his back going tense.

"There are wildflowers in the mountains." Gwendal ground out, steering Yuri's horse towards the right.

"Not as pretty as the ones near the brook." Gunter said, walking his horse between Yuri's and Gwendal's to separate them and push Yuri to the left.

"What is it with you and pretty things; can't you be serious for once?" Gwendal's face was slowly going red.

"At least I don't have a collection of 5 year old toys in my office. I can at least separate work and leisure, unlike you!"

"Pah! This coming from the man who spends three hours on his hair…_every morning_. You could do a hell of a lot of paperwork in that time!"

"How dare you! I work harder than you ever could. God, I'd rather talk to a brick wall, they have more give than you- you're so heartless!"

"Better to have no heart than a warped, twisted one like yours! It's you who has no feelings towards others!"

Gwendal and Günter both got off of their horses, holding onto their reins. They stood a foot apart from each other, practically snarling at each other's face in fury.

"What tripe are you gushing, jerk!?" Günter pushed at Gwendal's chest.

"Better tripe than you!" Gwendal pushed back. Gwendal looked appalled.

"Asshole!" Another push to Gwendal chest, though with a lot more force.

"Lady Boy!" Gwendal returned it. If they weren't holding onto the reins, Yuri was sure that they would be wrestling on the floor buy now.

"Um, guys? I'm gonna go find a road without a fork in it, kay. We'll take that one." The argument had been so quick and violent that Yuri couldn't even get a word in till now. Their eyes snapped to his. It was like they had only just remembered that he was there.

"How dare you start an argument in front of His Highness!" Günter hissed.

"Me! You bloody well started it with your 'pretty flowers' and 'quaint brook'. There isn't anything wrong with mountains."

Yuri gave up and started to walk his horse down the main path. His plan was going nowhere and the day had only just started.


	4. Chapter 4

They soon caught up, both silent again, though slightly more red in the face. Thank the heavens; Yuri had started to think that he would have to guard himself. Not that he couldn't, but he didn't want to get in trouble with Wolfram.

In the end Yuri found a nice sheltered hill overlooking a stream, surrounded by wildflowers. The horses were very happy tied to a nearby tree, drinking occasional from the clear waters. If only _everyone_ was that happy. Despite having a lovely picnic set out before them the atmosphere was far from pleasant. Günter and Gwendal were both sitting as far away from the other as possible, whilst still staying seated on the picnic rub. Gwendal was furiously ripping into his jerky, Günter, on the other hand, had refused everything. Yuri felt compelled to force some food into him for fear Günter would pass out, but thought better of it when he saw how sickly he looked. Perhaps he had come down with something.

Yuri had planned to start up a conversation of some kind, heck, even the weather would have been ok, but it was as though nothing could reach his two friends at the moment. He felt useless. He was King of the Great Demon Kingdom, an awesome base baller and father to a sweet young girl yet, in this instance, it was as though nothing he did had any effect. He wished that his mother was here, she always had a solution for trouble like this.

Thankfully the sunny day didn't last much longer as storm clouds began to roll in and everyone though it best to return to the castle. They had only just made it back before the rain fell heavily from the heavens.

The two men excused themselves and went their separate ways, ignoring each other completely, leaving Yuri thoughraly drained and feeling somewhat defeated. It had been such a good idea.

Yuri checked the time before going to find Greta; she always had a knack for making him feel better. It was now three o'clock so, more than likely, she would be with Anissina, playing with something Anissina adamantly declared was safe.

"Papa!" Greta sprang up out of nowhere to give Yuri a hug but, being physically drained, he had no energy to brace himself. Instead they both toppled to the ground, swirls forming in front of Yuri's eyes. Greta sat up on her father's chest, a little confused that she wasn't caught and spun around as usual and looked at her father with a worried look on her cute face.

"Are you okay? Your arms are really floppy." She said, lifting one of his arms and letting it fall to the ground as if to prove her point.

"She's right Your Majesty; it's as if you've had the life sucked out of you." Anissina came around the corner, wiping her hands on a rag before throwing it onto her workbench. "I take it that the little outing with Günter and Gwendal didn't go as well as you had hoped?" Anissina asked, reaching out her hand to help Yuri to his feet.

"I can get that they're angry with each other but I guess I kinda hoped that I could help melt the tension between them. They were so mad, Günter actually swore." Yuri said in awe. "He's usually so proper; Gwendal must have done something atrocious for him to stoop that low." Yuri rubbed the back of his head in thought.

"Papa, can I go and play with Conrad? He said he'd teach me how to fight with swords." She tugged at his jacket sleeve with a gleeful smile on her face. Yuri's face fell in shock.

Anissina leaned in and whispered into his ear, "She means play fighting…with _wooden_ swords, Your Highness." She smirked to herself; apparently the king had lost a few brain cells on his trip today.

"…Oh, well either way, be careful. Don't let Conrad win!" Yuri called after her as she skipped out the door.

"Your Majesty, I have been thinking about what you said before, about not knowing the cause of these arguments. When do you think they started?"

"Well…" Yuri thought back through all of the different spits that they'd had in the past couple of weeks, trying to find the source. Then it hit him. "We were having breakfast a couple of weeks ago. Lady Celi was trying to marry off Gwendal. Gwendal said he was already engaged to someone and had been for the last 20 years. Then Günter got grumpy for some reason, they squabbled and Gwendal said that he would meet the woman Lady Celi wanted him to meet. Günter looked really peeved…" Yuri trailed off, looking over at Anissina who had her brow furrowed in thought.

"They couldn't have…" Anissina mumbled.

"Couldn't have what?" Yuri asked

"I need a couple of days Your Majesty; I think I can make something to help us with our problem." She sat down at her desk and started to scribble.

Before he had managed to slip away Anissina called out, "Did you end up finding a present for Wolfram, that's all he's been talking about all day."

Yuri gulped in fear.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooo**

The rain didn't last very long despite how ominous it had looked and, after thinking long and hard about what to get Wolfram and coming up with nothing, Yuri went to the flower gardens to pick him some flowers. What do you get for someone who has everything anyway? After he had a handful he turned and caught sight of Conrad and Greta, playing what looked like damsels in distress. On closer look, Yuri could see Wolfram lying on the stairs, pretending to be a sleeping princess whilst Greta and Conrad fought. Conrad seemed to be playing the villain and was playing the part well. Yuri could here quotes like "The princess is mine mwah ha ha" and "She will never awaken from my curse" over the wind as he neared closer. Greta was coming up with some great comebacks and was trying really hard to win using the techniques she'd learned. From here, it was easy to tell Conrad was letting her win.

Out of character Wolfram called out, "The _princess_ is getting a cold back! Could you save her quicker please?" Yuri laughed, that was just like Wolfram. He stopped just off to the side, so as to not disturb their play, but close enough to get a good view.

While Wolfram was busy being distracting, Greta lunged forwards and Conrad, quick to take the hint, helped plunge Greta's sword into the space between his arm and chest on his left side. Then he proceeded to 'die'.

"Oh no, you got me!" he moaned, staggering backwards. "You have won fair hero, take you princess and leave this place." He fell to the ground, clutching his chest and gasping for air. Greta was loving it, she was giggling hysterically and even Yuri couldn't help but laugh. Conrad's acting was _so_ overdone. He looking just like a bug, squirming on the ground like he was. When he gave one last gasp and stopped twitching, Greta pulled herself together and went over to Wolfram.

"Come, my princess. I will take you to safety!" Greta declared, trying to lift Wolfram in the typical princess hold, but only managed to lift one of his legs.

"Pst, Greta! Can I wake up now?" Wolfram said, trying not to laugh himself at how cute Greta was.

"Oh- yeah! The curse broke 'member?"

"Oh…right." He got to his feet. Once up, Greta squealed, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Now we can get married and live happily ever after!"

Yuri could hear Conrad chuckle from his place in the dust. This was going to be good. Yuri just couldn't help himself, so he stepped into the game.

"We are gathered here today to join these two in holy matrimony." Yuri said in his best fatherly priest voice. Greta laughed.

"Yay! Just like a real wedding!" she said, tugging on Wolfram's sleeve while he looked bemused.

"Um…blah blah, some other stuff I can't remember- I now pronounce you husband and uh wife! You may kiss the bride!" Yuri said happily, lifting Greta up so that she could reach Wolfram's cheek. As she kissed him delicately both Conrad and Yuri went "Naw!" it was so cute, it would have made a perfect snapshot if only Yuri had his camera.

As Yuri set Greta down she called out "You can stop being dead now Conrad, the games over now!" Conrad laughed again, getting up and dusting off his uniform.

Yuri took this opportunity to give his fiancé his freshly picked 'gift'.

"A present for the bride." He held out the hasty bouquet.

"Oh, how sweet." He took the flowers then froze. "Wait a minute, these are mums flowers. You lied!" Wolfram grasped Yuri's ear, tugging it furiously.

"Ow! What's that for! Don't you like your gift?" Yuri gasped in pain; oh man did Wolfram have a tight grip.

"Oh I do, but what I don't like nor appreciate is you lying about it. These are from inside the castle grounds. You _did not_ need to go on a hike in order to get them! So what _were_ you doing all morning huh!? Spill wimp!"

"Do you want to go and get some cherry pie?" Conrad asked Greta who was wavering on the sidelines, unsure of what to do with her arguing parents.

"Yes please, that sounds yummy!" she smiled, her cheeks rosy.

"It sure does." They then walked hand in hand towards the kitchen.

Yuri reached out his hand as Wolfram marched him away for further questioning. "Wait! Take me with you!"


	5. Chapter 5

Merry Christmas to all my followers! Sorry this wasn't up earlier, I had way too much sun. FYI, I live in Australia and it was like 40 degrees Celsius. Well, anyway...good timing, enjoy your gift.

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It had been a couple of days since he had returned from the hike. Wolfram had finally gotten over the 'blatant cheating' when he explained that he was trying to fix Günter and Gwendal's personality problems.

"Fine, I promise to keep out of it. But if I hear of any flirtatious behaviour you'll have me to answer to." Wolfram pointed his finger in Yuri's face threateningly. Yuri got the message.

This morning Yuri had his usual lessons with Günter and, considering the way Günter's mood had been, thought it best not to skip. As he entered the library he noticed that the room was oddly quiet. Not that Günter was very noisy when it came to paperwork, but the stillness was rather creepy.

"Günter, you here?" Yuri called out, though not to loud, it was a library after all.

As he rounded a large bookshelf he understood why it was so quiet. Gunter was at his set desk, fast asleep on his folded arms. He mumbled a little as he felt Yuri's presence but stayed in his slumber. At closer look Yuri could see the paleness of Günter's skin and the dark circles under his eyes. His cheeks seemed drawn in as well; Yuri wondered if Günter had eaten a proper meal yet. By the look of his frame…probably not. He could see Günter's eyes twitching from underneath his eyelids; obviously he was not achieving a deep enough state to get a good amount restorative sleep. It was definitely affecting his health.

Knowing this, there was no way Yuri could bring himself to wake him up; he would just have to teach himself today. As he went to his table he found a pile of books and parchment. He supposed he could simply read some parts and take notes as he went. It was the least he could do.

An hour past and finally Günter started to stir, barely raising his head off of his desk. Groggily he opened his eyes, gasping in shock when they fell on Yuri…studying…on his own. What the?

"Oh Günter, you're awake. Before you start, it's ok. You needed a rest and I learnt a fair bit from reading. If anyone asks, I'll tell them that you put me through the ringer." Yuri got up and asked a passing maid to bring them a cup of tea. Yuri could see that Günter wasn't quite awake; he was rubbing at his eyes with his knuckles in a childish way, rolling his head to lessen the tension in his neck. His brain hadn't returned to earth yet from sleepy land…this gave Yuri an idea.

"So Günter, how have you been feeling, you look really tired. Gwendal looks kind of the same-"

"Don't bring him up. I'd almost gone a whole day without him being mentioned." He moaned, now rubbing his temples with his fingertips as he felt his earlier headache returning.

"Why are you two so grumpy with each other? You used to get on fairly well." Yuri tested the waters. No harm in asking right?

"Pah, it was all lies, it had to be considering the way he's treating me now. Bloody oaf doesn't know a good thing when he's got it." He muttered sleepily.

"A good thing?"

"I did everything for Gwendal, I even moved from Christ to support him here. Bastard…promise breaker." He sniffed.

"Promise?"

"Hm-what?" Günter coughed behind his hand as a teacup was set before him; the sweet aroma seemed to snap him out of his daze. "Oh, Nothing worth mentioning you highness." He covered up his blunder, though Yuri knew the information _was_ very important and _definitely_ worth mentioning. "Now, why don't you pass me your notes and I can answer any questions you have." He straightened up and put on his glasses.

Damn Günter and his tea.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooo

Later the same day, Yuri wanted to see if he could try and use the same trick on Gwendal. It was going to be a little harder than with Günter, but Yuri had a plan. Gwendal was usually a little out of it when he was concentrating on his knitting and he wanted to get Greta a present anyway, he liked spoiling his little girl. He wanted to give her a pony plush as she had been asking for the real thing recently. He just couldn't let his little girl on a real horse yet…she was too little. In order to get a pony…Yuri would have to ask for a dog.

He knocked on the door before entering, "Um Gwendal…can I ask you a favour?"

Gwendal sighed, putting down his quill and giving Yuri a look that clearly said 'I'd rather you didn't.' "What is it Your Majesty?" he said, getting up from his chair respectfully as Yuri made his way closer to the desk.

"Greta's been a good girl recently and I was wondering if you could knit her a toy. She wants a knitted dog to hug at night. Do you think that you could do one for her now?" He put on his best puppy eyes. Gwendal couldn't help but give in.

"I suppose I _could _do with a break… and she has been a treasure. What colour do you want him?" he asked, heading over to where he kept his wool. "White and brown would be sweet." He added, looking over his shoulder at Yuri.

"That sounds great, I'm sure she'll love it." Yuri said, sitting down in a chair opposite Gwendal's.

"I'll make a pink leash to go with it." He sat down with his woollen goods and got to work. This wouldn't take long; Yuri had better get some questions in.

"So have you and Günter gotten over that spat you've been having?"

"Geez, I wish. I keep asking him what I did wrong but his only answer is, 'if you have to ask then it's pointless!'"

"He mentioned broken promises to me this morning; does that mean anything to you?" Yuri continued making conversation as the horse/dog began to take shape in front of his eyes. Gwendal seemed to knit quicker when he was upset.

"I didn't break anything! He's just being impatient. I told him to wait until…" he trailed off.

"Yeah? Until what? What's he waiting for?" Yuri leaned forward, waiting for the answer.

"He's done. Isn't it cute?" Gwendal said, holding up the stuffed creature. It _was_ cute, but it had been completed too fast. Maybe he should have asked for a bigger one. It seemed that Yuri would never get any answers, just more confusion.

He slumped his way out of the office after thanking Gwendal for his hard work, clutching the sweet toy to his chest. He sighed; did he really think that that plan would work?

"Your Highness, is that a horse?" he turned and saw a shock of long red hair. Anissina had 'snuck up' behind him while he was busy being gloomy.

"Yeah, I had Gwendal make it for Greta."

"It does look like his work. Let me guess, you asked him for a dog so that you would get the right animal?"

"You know him so well." Yuri laughed. "How are things with you going?" he asked. She stood up a little straighter, a proud smile on her face.

"The machine is finished Your Highness. It's designed to take us into the past of whoevers essence we place against its circuits. My guess is that we would see the same story for the both of them, as we will be seeing them together anyway. The machine will know where to take us. It's called the 'look into the past and see the truth kun'.

"That's great Anissina!" he said happily before realising that nothing with Anissina was that easy. "…what's the catch?" he said fearfully.

"We are going to need some blood."


End file.
